Stockholm Using Cities: Skylines; Planning District

It’s no secret that video games have been on a truly unprecedented rise, with the medical and educational worlds being revolutionized by the technology. Their ability to simulate real-life and allow us to test the waters on decision-making is just unearthly. Cities: Skylines is no different, as it allows you to build cities freely, and create layouts to suit the needs of your citizens.

It may come as a surprise to some that real city planners from Sweden’s capital city of Stockholm wish to use the game to design an actual upcoming district. In essence, this city building simulator is about to make its mark on the world by building a real-world district.

Admittedly this doesn’t sound like the most interesting information, but the reason why it is so integral to keep a close eye on these sorts of things, is that the gaming world is becoming far more heavily integrated in the real world. Here’s some information from the press release:

“A citizen dialogue that functions well is key for urban city planning, now and in the future,” said Erik Kalmaru, head of communications at the Swedish Building Services. “Computer games have shown to be a very effective tool to build engagement and generate ideas, but also to visualize the process. We undertook a previous project with Minecraft and Mojang which developed into a project spanning the world, and we look forward to seeing what using Cities: Skylines as a tool will generate.”

Our industry is being taken seriously in a way that is unprecedented, and it’s finally taking this industry down a road that will inevitably lead to budgetary increase. With games on the up and coming as the most prominent creative medium in the world, news like this sends all of us in the right direction.

Hopefully someday you’ll get an opportunity to visit this district, as it becomes part of gaming’s rich history.